We left nothing, but our paw prints in the snow

Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

I noticed that my mate was looking at me quizzically, so I decided that I should tell t least him about what I planned to do. “What do you think?” I asked once I had finished relating my plan.

He looked thoughtful. I tried to read his mind using a bond that existed between mates. He seemed to sense me trying to enter, because he blocked me out. At least I knew that the bond existed. We were mates!

Instead I looked him directly in the eyes. My mum had said that the thoughts a wolf was thinking was reflected in their eyes. That's why it was considered rude to look a wolf directly in the eye. You were basically taking away their privacy. I decided that this was the time to see whether my mum had been right.

He noticed me looking, and met my gaze full on. This, I hadn't expected. We stared, a battle of wills. If I won, I would be the dominant one, and I would also win and get to know what he was thinking. Of course being the dominant one between two mates meant almost nothing at all. All it meant was that in a decision, I would have a slight advantage. Nothing special.

I looked at him. I withheld some of the power in me from my eyes. I didn't want to set all my power on him at once. I could sense that he knew I hadn't given my all, so he pushed me just that little bit further. If I wanted to win this, I would have to put a bit more of my authority into it. I did just that.

I could sense him wavering. Tempted to give in. From somewhere though, he managed to get the strength to make me quiver. I summoned a bit more of mine, and became equal. We were really a close match. We would make a very good pair. We were both very strong wolves, and we both knew it. The thing was, we were both strong, not only physically, but also mentally. That was double strength. Most wolves had only one or the other.

How long would this last?

He let out a snarl. At first I though that it was aimed at me, but found that it was meant for the wolves that were probably drawn by the noise an eye-contest makes. It sends out mental vibes so loud that all wolves can hear it within a 3 mile radius.

He didn't want them to interfere. Fair enough. Neither did I. However, I hadn't thought that he still had the remaining power to let out a snarl, that made you shiver.

I decided to make it quick, seeing as we had now summoned so much audience. I put my full weight into the stare. To my surprise, it wasn't quite enough to make him give in. We were still equal. And we both had exactly the same remaining energy. Any one could see that this was a draw.

In eye-contests, there were never draws. Some one always won, and some one always lost. But it seemed, that this problem couldn't be solved by something as simple as inner strength. I called for a draw.

Any decent wolf would have seen where this was going. And so did my mate. He said yes with his eyes, and we both looked away at exactly the same time.

It was a draw. There was no dominant one between us. I hadn't even thought it possible until today.

I walked up to him to apologise. He couldn't have enjoyed it, just like me. I hate fights of any sort. And I had just found out that a fight with your mate was the worst of all.

I nuzzled him lovingly, and he nuzzled me back. I let out a sigh. He did too. We were one again, and he silently, through the link I had opened, told me that he had hoped I would come to this conclusion about leading the pack to safety.

He told the rest of the wolves. I thought that now we were going to be alpha, there would be some kind of ceremony, but there wasn't. All that happened, is that all the wolves gathered, became my children. I don't know how, but they did. The mental link between my mate and me, was something you had between mates and their children. For some odd reason, not between siblings. And for some even odder reason, the last alphas of this pack had decided not to create this link with me.

I could hear all my children. And it gave me comfort. They would never leave me. And I would never leave them.

My mate and I, were officially the male and female alpha of this- our- pack.

I would let nothing hurt them, and the will to move them some place safe, grew in me. But first, I needed to get us some food.

I was going hunting for the first time in a moon.